Pray the Word with David Platt is a resource from Radical.net.

So this week on Pray the Word, we are looking at different texts each day that correspond

to different things that were happening during Holy Week, close to a couple thousand years ago.

So today's text is John chapter 12 verses 12 through 15.

The next day, the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.

So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, Hosanna,

blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the king of Israel.

And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it just as it is written.

Fear not, daughter of Zion, behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's cult.

So just picture the scene, like streets of Jerusalem filled with visitors.

This city, typically home to around 40,000 people would swell to over 200,000 as Jews from far and

wide would make this annual pilgrimage for the feast of unleavened

bread. This week would then culminate in the Passover, which meant religious fervor would be at a

height. So for a Jew, Passover was a reminder. You think back to the Old Testament of Israel's

deliverance from slavery in Egypt, how God

had spared Israel from his judgment while striking down the Egyptians. So what better time for Israel's

Messiah in a sense to make a grand entrance and deliver God's people now from Roman rule.

So on this Sunday of Holy Week, this scene was set for Jesus' triumphal entry.

Some had already heard Jesus teach with authority.

Others had seen him heal the sick, cast out demons, perform all kinds of miracles.

There were even reports that he had raised people from the dead.

So with that kind of buildup, I think we can understand like the crowd's reaction to Jesus

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